Mechanism for the operation of performing figures.



A. D. PHILLIPS.

MECHANISM FOR THE OPERATION OF PERFORMING FIGURES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1914- Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT D. PHILLIPS, OF WAYNESBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANISM FOR THE OPERATION OF PERFORMING FIGURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application filed March 23, 1914. Serial No. 826,616.

the Operation of Performing Figures, of

which the following is a specification.

My inventlon relates to improvements in the operating of, and control of the movements of, dancing, tumbling or otherwise performing human or animal figures, and particularly to that class of figures that act upon a platform. Such figures are usually operated by some form of clockwork driven by a spring mechanism. Their action is, therefore, generally limited to the short time that it takes for the spring to unwind, and their movements are generally of a uniform character throughout their performance.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide simple and inexpensive means for the continuous operation, either in unison or in variety, of a plurality of figures; and, second, to vary and control automatically the performance of such figures.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the entire machine as it appears with the cover removed; Fig. 2 displayes three features of the governing wheel 15, of which: A is a plan view of the right hand side of said wheel, showing convex ring 17; B, a cross section of same on line wy, showing cams 18; C, a plan view of cams on left side of wheel. Fig. 3 shows parts (m, p, g), of a dancing figure, used here only to illustrate the working principles of this mechanism, and not claimed as, in any way, a part of this invention. 1

Similar numbers or letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My device comprises a rectangular casing 2 having a base 1, said casing being of any suitable size. To the base 1 on the 1nside of the casing is secured an electric motor 1 carrying on its shaft a pinion 5.

While I have described the electric motor as a source of supply of energy, I wish it to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the use of an electric motor, but may substitute any desirable source of supply of energy.

Meshing with the pinion 5 is a gear wheel 6 which is slidably mounted on a shaft 10, said shaft passing through a hole in the said gear, which hole is of either oblong or square formation and the shaft is of similar formation so that although the shaft may slide through the gear there will be no rela .tive movement between the shaft and gear with respect to rotation. The said shaft 10 is rotatably mounted in a bracket 9 and passes through an aperture in a wall 9 which is secured to and passes transversely across the casing 2. This shaft is extended beyond said wall and passes through apertures 8 in two legs of a U-shaped bracket 7 and is slidably mounted in said apertures. Fixedly mounted on the shaft 10 between the legs of the bracket 7 is a two flanged pinion 11 which meshes with a gear wheel 12 fixedly mounted on a short shaft13, which shaft is slidably and rotatably mounted in apertures in the legs of the bracket 7. Secured to this shaft 13 and in slight spaced relation to the gear wheel 12 is a pinion 14, which meshes with a gear wheel 15 secured to a shaft 16, which shaft is slidably and rotatably mounted in the legs of the bracket 7. On one face of this wheel 15 is an annular projection 17 which con tacts with one face of the gear wheel 12 to maintain the gears 12 and 15 in spaced relation. On the opposite face of the gear wheel 15 is a brace which comprises a plurality of cams 18, the number and configuration of which may be varied at will, so as to control and vary the operation of the dancing figures.

Secured to the leg of the bracket 7 adjacent the cams 18 is a cam 19 which normally contacts with the cams 18. These cams are held in contact with each other by a leaf spring 20, which spring is secured to one leg ofthe bracket 7 and bears against one face of the gear 12 so as to normally press the gear and its shaft 13 toward the opposite leg of the bracket and inasmuch as the gear bears against the annular member 17 the gear 15 and its shaft 16 are pressed toward the same leg of the bracket, which causes the cams 18 and 19 to always contact with each other.

An additional leaf spring 21 of bowed formation is secured to the leg of the bracket 7 adjacent the gear (3 so that when the gears 12 and 15 are shifted by the action of the cams 18 and 19 the shaft 13 will bear against the end of the said spring 21 and push its bowed portion into contact with the face of the gear 6 so that the said spring acts as a brake to retard the rotative movement of the said gear.

The gear wheel 6 is held in spaced relation from the adjacent leg on the bracket 7 and the wall 9 by hubs 6 formed on the sides of the said gear 6.

The operation of this mechanism is easily understood :The motor being energized from a dry cell, or any other suitable source of electric current, the whole train of geared wheels is set in motion. As the series of cams 18, on wheel 15, pass over stationary cam 19, wheels, 15, 12 and flanged pinion 11, (since wheel 15 is held between the two fianges on edges of pinion 11) will all be carried toward position 23, and, all of said wheels being stationary on their shafts, shafts 10, 13 and 16 will assume positions 10 13 and 16 respectively, returning to their normal positions when wheel 15 has rotated so that the cam 19 bears against the depression 22 of one of the cams 18, since spring 20, by its pressure on wheel 12, holds cam 18 in constant contact with cam 19. Hence it is seen that by suitable gearing on shaft 10, in place of p, p, a series of figures may be actuated, either in unison or at intervals.

In order that the figures m may be actuated to execute different measures of a dance, I have provided the following mechanism, and I wish it to be understood that I do not want to be limited to the use of the particular figure illustrated for it is obvious that numerous figures of various constructions may be substituted: Fixedly mounted on the shaft 10 at a plurality of spaced points are collars p, the number of which may be varied at will as the number of dancing figures is varied. For convenience 1 merely'describe the operation of one of these collars and the mechanism 00- operating therewith since they are of similar constructions. Formed on the collar 79 is a pair of arms a which extend from the said collar at diametrically opposite points. The ends of said arms being bent, as at n and 0 from the plane of the arms proper, the angle of inclination of the arm of the bent portion n being greater than the angle of inclination of the portion 0 so that the resulting distance between the end of the bent portion n and the shaft 10 is less than the distance between the end of the bent portion 0 and the said shaft. These arms are rotated with the shaft 10. Mounted in the bearing 1) is a vertically extending shaft .9 which extends upwardly through the upper face of the casing 2 and is rotatably supported in the said bearing and in the said face. Mounted on the shaft 3 in the bearing is a disk member (1 which has a plurality of radial ridges 1' formed thereon.

The portion between said ridges being inclined downwardly to form cam surfaces 0 and the said disk being normally in the path of movement of the bent portions n and 0 when the shaft 10 is in its initial position, that is, when the cam 19 is in the depression 22 of the cam 18. As the shaft 10 is rotated,'the bent portion 0 of one of the arms a moves upwardly and contacts with the lower face of the disk ata'point adjacent one of the ridges r so that the continued upward movement of the said bent portion raises the disk 9 and at the same time rotates the disk by virtue of its contact with the adjacent cam surface a. The time that the portion 0 is in contact with the disk 9 is considerably greater than the time that the portion n is in contact with the disk, since the angle of inclination of the portion n is greater than that of the portion 0, thus it may be seen that on one rotation of the shaft 10 the disk 9 will be raised twice and likewise partially rotated twice; the time of raising and rotating in each case being different. As the cam 19 rides up on one of the cams 18 the shaft 10 is pushed so that the shafts 10, 13 and 16 assume positions 10*, 13 and 16, or numerous intermediate positions since the contour of the several cams 18 is varied.

As the arms a are moved with the shaft 10 they are adjusted with relation to the disk 9' so that the time that each of the. bent portions 92 and 0 engages the said disk is gradually lessened and thus the length of time that the figure n is actuated is gradually lessened. NVhen the shaft 10 reaches the positions 10 the arms a are in such position that the projection 42 will not contact at all with the disk (1 so that the figure is only actuated once during each rotation of the shaft 10 and at this time the spring 21 bears against the gear 6 and acts as a brake since the member 1 would speed up to too greatan extent without such a brake it being understood of course that the load on the member has been reduced. As long as the arms a are in such positions as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 with both arms striking the disk 9 With no resistance in the operating mechanism it is evident that the action of the figures would be very rapid, but when the shaft 10 is moved to the position 1O by the action of the cams 18 the actuation of the said figure m Will be gradually decreased with regard to rapidity.

It is of course to be understood that as the position of the shaft 10 and the operating mechanism is varied toward the position 10 the brake 21 is applied to the gear 6 with various pressures so as to regulate the speed of the motor.

Since the wheel 15 rotates very slowly ample time is allowed for the execution of different figures of the dance.

I would have it understood that the invention includes all such changes and modifications in the details of construction of the several parts of the mechanism as may fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having fully described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an operating mechanism for performing figures, the combination of an electric motor and a sliding primary gear shaft, with means for automatically shifting the said shaft, comprising a flanged pinion, rigid withsaid shaft, a wheel carrying a series of cams, intermediate gear wheels connecting the flanged pinion and the last mentioned wheel, a stationary cam cooperating with the series of cams on the last mentioned wheel and spring means for holding said cams in contact, substantially as described.

2. In an operating and controlling mechanism for performing figures, the combination of an electric motor, and a sliding primary gear shaft, with means for automatically shifting the position of, and varying the speed of said shaft comprising a flanged pinion, a Wheel carrying a series of cams, means connecting said primary shaft and said last mentioned wheel, a stationary cam,

a retaining spring for maintaining-the cams in contacting relation and an automatically operated brake, substantially as set forth.

3. A device of the class described comprising a casing, a shaft rotatably and slidably mounted in said casing, a gear wheel slidableon said shaft and rotatable therewith, means connected to said gear wheel to drive the same, means operatively connected to said shaft for shifting the same at Various intervals, means cooperating with said gear wheel to retard the rotation of said shaft, a plurality of figures mounted on said casing, means on said shaft to reciprocate the figures upwardly and downwardly at various speeds and to rotate the said fig-, ures at various intervals.

4. In a device of the class described, a casing, a shaft slidably mounted in said casing, a gear wheel slidable on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a plurality of vertical shafts mounted in said casing, disks on said vertical shafts having cam surfaces thereon, means fixed to said first mentioned shaft to raise said disks intermittently and to simultaneously rotate the same for various lengths of time, means for varying the speed of said shaft and means to shift the shaft longitudinally to various positions.

5. In a device of the class described, a casing, a horizontal shaft rotatably and slidably mounted therein, means for shifting said shaft to various positions, means for rotating the same, arms fixedly mounted on said shaft having bent portions on the ends thereof, the angles of inclination of the bent portions varying with relation to the plane of the main portions of the arms, vertical shafts mounted adjacent said arms and having cam surfaces thereon, the said arms being constructed and arranged to lift the disks at various intervals and rotate the same simultaneously for various lengths of time during the shifting of the said horizontal shaft.

In witness whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT I). PHILLIPS.

Witnesses GEO. WV. NEWELL, ALBERT M. NICHOLS.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

